Rocacorba Daily

Thursday September 12, 2013

by CyclingTips - September 12, 2013

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Top of the morning to those of you who are looking for your cycling news fix on this fine Thursday. Today we have an assortment of results, stories, and for once a press release from the office of Pat McQuaid that actually makes a bit of sense. Have a great day.

Mollema wins Vuelta 17th stage, Nibali retains lead

Dutch rider Bauke Mollema of the Belkin team won the 17th stage of the Tour of Spain in Burgos on Thursday as Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall race leader’s red jersey.

Mollema, 26, attacked at the end of the 189-km ride from Calahorra to take the stage win ahead of Sky’s Norwegian rider Edvald Boasson Hagen and Argentina’s Maximiliano Richeze, of Lampre, who were second and third respectively.

Bauke Mollema attacks at the end of the crosswind struck day and holds off until the end to take the win of stage 17.

The Dutchman’s move completely took by surprise the peloton, containing the leading riders in the general classification, to recover some pride from a race in which he had been left trailing in the overall standings.

“I knew that this was my only chance to win a stage,” Mollema told Spanish television at the end of a stage that had been earmarked as one for the sprinters.

“I came to the Vuelta with ambitions to do well in the general classification, my team had designated me for that role, but it hasn’t been possible and so we decided to go for stage wins instead,” added Mollema, who became something of a cult hero in his native Netherlands on his way to finishing sixth at this year’s Tour de France.

Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) and Javier Aramendia (Caja Rural) broke away in the opening kilometers and built a maximum advantage of 7 minutes only to be brought back in the final kilometers.

Nibali and his principle rivals – the American veteran Chris Horner of RadioShack and Spanish duo Alejandro Valverde of Movistar and Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha – reached the finish just behind Mollema and were given the same time as the stage winner.

However, several riders lost time after cracks appeared in the peloton when Ireland’s Nicolas Roche and his Saxo-Tinkoff team attacked in crosswinds with just under 30 kilometres to go.

France’s Thibaut Pinot and Italy’s Domenico Pozzovivo were among the riders worst affected, with both losing 1min 31sec on Nibali.

Horner sits second at 28sec, with Valverde third at 1min 14sec and Rodriguez fourth at 2min 29sec.

This year’s Vuelta concludes in Madrid on Sunday but, before that, the peloton must prepare for a first-category finish on Thursday on the Pena Cabarga, where ‘Purito’ Rodriguez won in 2010.

And on Saturday there will be a finish atop the unclassified Alto de l’Angliru, at an altitude of 1,557 metres.

New venue for Tour Down Under’s opening day

The 2014 Santos Tour Down Under will feature a new city circuit around the River Torrens for the People’s Choice Classic.

Announcing the route for the January 19 race, Tourism Minister, Leon Bignell, said the new course offers fans great vantage points of some of the most picturesque parts of Adelaide.

“The People’s Choice Classic is always an exhilarating preview to the six-stage Santos Tour Down Under and in 2014 we’ll see riders start the closed-circuit race on Victoria Drive,” Mr Bignell said.

“The peloton will test their legs on a route that takes them over the River Torrens and through Adelaide’s beautiful parklands, with plenty of great vantage points for fans to enjoy the action while perhaps enjoying a picnic by the river.

“For the first time the race will travel past the scenic northern edge of the University of Adelaide.”

How an SMS message saved the iconic Basque team from disappearing

Acting on a hunch and a touch of desperation, Kiko García, Oakley marketing manager, picked up his mobile in late August and sent a SMS to the one man he believed could single-handedly turn things around for Euskatel-Euskadi: Fernando Alonso.

That one SMS was the spark that unleashed a chain of events that delivered the news last week that Alonso would take over ownership of the struggling Euskaltel-Euskadi team, saving it from extinction.

McQuaid proposes policy to restructure team model

UCI President Pat McQuaid has unveiled new policy proposals which aims to prevent doping by ensuring that teams are no long structured on the historic model that left riders without adequate mentoring, support and supervision.

McQuaid stated in a press release that the UCI had a pivotal role to play in supporting teams and riders in creating an environment that continues to be conducive to the cultural change within cycling.

“Today’s riders should never be faced with having to make the same choices as previous generations,” said McQuaid in a press release.

McQuaid announced that the foundation of his new policy was the proposed introduction of a skills certification standard to ensure that those working within professional cycling as doctors, coaches and sports directors are suitably qualified and approved to do so.

The UCI President is proposing new team structures to ensure that there is one doctor, one coach and one sports director, each with separate responsibilities, for every seven riders.

“This will enhance the level of monitoring care and support available to each rider, thereby helping riders to better manage their workload, race schedule and recovery,” said McQuaid.

McQuaid acknowledged that the UCI must also introduce a sustainable and long lasting economic model to assist teams in implementing the initiatives that he is proposing.

“This may well require the UCI to reduce the size of teams at UCI World Tour level and UCI Continental level by five or more riders respectively,” he said.

McQuaid expressed his intention work with teams to introduce and implement his proposed policies, which he described as a roadmap for the direction that cycling must take in the immediate future.

David Veilleux makes surprise retirement announcement

David Veilleux (Europcar) announced his retirement from professional cycling on Wednesday morning through a statement on his website.

The 25-year-old said he wants to continue his studies in mechanical engineering at Universite Laval in Quebec City. Veilleux became the first Quebec-born cyclist to appear in the Tour de France this past summer and finished 123rd.

Veilleux will officially retire after taking part in Grand Prix cycliste events in Quebec City on Friday and in Montreal on Sunday. In a statement, he said he’s proud of his accomplishments and that he has achieved his sporting goals.

Judge supports Lance Armstrong’s right to lie in his books

A federal judge has ruled that Lance Armstrong had a right to lie about himself in his books and has thrown out most of a lawsuit against the former cyclist filed by readers who accused him of fraud.

“The Court concludes, despite plaintiffs’ allegations that the Armstrong books contained false and misleading statements, that the content of the books is afforded full First Amendment protection,” said U.S. District Judge Morrison England who issued the ruling this week after hearing arguments last month in Sacramento.

A group of readers had filed suit against Armstrong in January, seeking more than $5 million in refunds and other costs for Armstrong’s books, including his autobiographies It’s Not About The Bike and Every Second Counts.

Does pro cycling need the Vuelta?

The Vuelta a Espana plays third fiddle two its other two Grand Tour counterparts. Most fans watch the race with only a passing interest, and many riders view it as part of the process to prepare for the World Championships and pull out before it’s even finished:

I see a lot of people wondering if 25% of riders dropping out of Vuelta is unusual. Here's a graph of last 20 years pic.twitter.com/frjqkaOad6

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The Vuelta is the best GT in my opinion. It’s hindered by it’s spot on the calendar. It’s a tough race that for some riders can be too much to finish (or start) before Worlds. It’s also the third GT meaning some riders are either tired or just don’t want to do a 3 weeker all over again. Unless you’re Adam Hansen

http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips

The Vuelta used to be held in April and May, but was moved to Sept in 1995.
Maybe it’s the World Championships that should be moved? Perhaps straight after the TdF?

jules

the problem with holding it after the Tour is that it would reward the Tour riders. i like the idea that others (i.e. Vuelta riders) have a chance to win the World Champs. there’s already too much focus on the Tour and it’s good for cycling to mix it up. there’s no perfect solution though.

http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips

It’s a good point Jules. The World Champs would only be a letdown if held after the Tour (unless it was the 2012 Tour). The Vuelta gives a nice slow buildup to the World Champs. Too bad for the Vuelta though…

Dave

But straight after the 2012 Tour came the Olympics. One or both would lose legitimacy if they were placed back to back, and in my opinion that would be a bad thing as road cycling needs the Olympics a hell of a lot more than the Olympics needs road cycling.

I don’t mind the World Championships coming in September. For those who don’t ride part or all of the Vuelta there are plenty of other options for the run up to the Worlds including the string of 2.1 races through North America and a decent number of late season races still going on around Europe.

Being in September also opens up the opportunity to hold the Worlds in decent weather in either the northern or southern hemisphere. That will be important when the SA State Government finally pulls the trigger and launches their bid to hold it on the Stirling-Mylor circuit around the corner from the Edmonsons’ house.

Steel

There’s probably a lot of reasons why I struggle to hold interest through the Vuelta. One that recently struck me is that I think cycling is too old world Euro centric. Spain’s a lovely place, and I’ve travelled through some parts of it, but I’m finding my interest is turning to things like the tour of alberta. A change of scenery is required every now and then. 9 weeks of alps and medieval buildings over the 3 GTs is pushing the limits. especially when parts of Spain look like a shabby version of France.

Admittedly that’s not going to sit well with the cycling purists view, but I think it’s worth considering.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the third GT was roving and could be held in places like China, Australia, Canada, Africa etc… And held at different times of the year, like the Tennis slams.

jules

part of the attraction of pro cycling is the anticipation of knowing all the big guns are lining up to give it their best. the problem with a diverse racing calendar is that it’s hard to tell if the stars are on form. you know at the Tour and at Flanders they will be – which is what makes them exciting. no one wants to watch them turn up to the Tour of IpaidMcquaid, rolling around taking in the sights and carrying 3kg of pud.

Dave

I know we don’t want to watch it, but that’s already how BMC riders approach even the established races.

velocite

We like the Tour Down Under, and we like that it’s a World Tour
race. I am guessing that the Spaniards are just a little more involved
with their own Tour than we are with ours. In my opinion it’s more
interesting than the World Championships, and I don’t think
abadandonments by Worlds hopefuls detracts from the race – none of them
are GC contenders. The major point against it seems to be that it lacks
the celebrity status of the Tour and to a lesser extent the Giro.
Shallow. I like that it gives more riders the opportunity to do well in
the big time – eg Michael Matthews, to mention just one.

Last Sunday Mike Tomalaris suggested that bicycle registration was a ‘controversial’ idea. It’s not, of course, it’s a petulant complaint from a minority of car driving dickheads. This ‘issue’ is more interesting, but just a media beat-up attempt all the same.

Dave

“We like the Tour Down Under, and we like that it’s a World Tour race. I am guessing that the Spaniards are just a little more involved with their own Tour than we are with ours.”

Are you kidding? International riders are almost unanimous in affirming the TDU crowd support as the best on the international circuit outside of the Tour de France.

The TDU works, there is nothing that needs to be changed. The teams like being able to do a fly-away race all based in one location without massive buses or trucks. The fans love it, more of them turn up every day than they did for the whole weekend of Bernie Ecclestone’s go kart race (you’re welcome to it Victoria!) and being based in one location makes it the best stage race in the world to follow as a cyclist with no need for a camper van.

velocite

You may be right Dave, but I certainly wasn’t suggesting there’s something wrong with the TDU. The Philip Gomes proposition was that the Vuelta should be relegated, which I expect the Spaniards would not like. We get big crowds for the TDU – not including me, I’m in Bright at that time of year – but cycling is still a fringe sport in Oz, not so in Spain. As a mere fan I would like to think there’s room for La Vuelta.

Zeb

Nothing on the NSW state governments plan to finally finish the city’s bike lanes? That’s a good Thursday morning read